WICKEDEST DISTRICT IN THE WORLD (1896-1909)

Misery, death, crime, vice, drugs, filth–you name it.  Photojournalists and newspaper reporters in bold captions characterized the West Side area as the wickedest district not merely in the nation or in western civilization but in the global world. As the contemporary showman and huckster P.T. Barnum proclaimed, when it came to dominating the public’s attention, notoriety trumped honorable repute every time.   bjb

Cocaine on Halsted Street (1903-1908)

Slum Living Conditions (1897-1911)